Sander, who took office last year and is the German government's representative to the U.S. Southeast, will tour the Mercedes plant Monday. Later that day, he will visit the operations of BLG Logistics Inc., a German-owned logistics provider and Mercedes supplier.

He will
travel on to Mississippi before returning to Alabama on Wednesday for his first official visit to Mobile.

Sander, a
native of Düsseldorf, Germany, has served as a career foreign officer for the
Federal Republic of Germany since 1983, and he has
made several official visits to Alabama since taking office last
September.

He will be accompanied during
his stay by Michael Johnson, Honorary Consul of Germany for Alabama.